Interactive Arts and Technology Doctor of Philosophy Program
School of Interactive Arts and Technology | Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology
間眅埶AV Calendar 2012 Spring
This program offers a doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree in art, design, media and information technology with particular expertise in the computational and interactive aspects of art, design, new media learning, business, computer games, cognition, performing arts, social science and cultural studies. The program is geared toward students who wish to learn about technology and how it is made and used.
The program has the quadruple objectives of: first, research and development of new computational technology in the context of complex human organizations and situations; second, research into the acts of designing, making, and managing technology; third, inquiry into and use of research methodologies that enable interdisciplinary collaboration and the development of new technologies; and fourth, application of new technologies in society and industry, particularly in creative areas of art, design, games and media.
間眅埶AV Requirements
There will be annual admission with the possibility of early or out-of-cycle admissions in special cases.
The minimum standards will be those of 間眅埶AV, as described in the Graduate General Regulations, augmented by the following specific requirements.
The school aims to admit students with diverse backgrounds, across the broad areas in which our faculty have disciplinary expertise. The following admission requirements encourage such diversity while setting minimum standards for acceptance into the program.
Minimum Standard Entrance Requirements
- a graduate degree in a field related to the proposed program of study, e.g. MSc computer science, MASc engineering (electrical, communications, computer engineering), MA or MSc in education, management, or economics, communications, MFA in art, design or performing arts, MA in art, art history, architecture, linguistics, psychology or philosophy, MArch, MLArch
- OR a graduate degree in another, related discipline. Applicants are required to establish the relationship between the discipline in which they hold their previous degree or degrees and this program and explain how they would benefit from this program.
- OR an undergraduate degree in one of the two categories above. Applicants are required to demonstrate both high academic standing (3.5 GPA or better at a Canadian university, or equivalent), for the undergraduate degree, and evidence of research aptitude and accomplishment.
- a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better at a Canadian university, or equivalent, for the master's degree.
- three reference letters each from a suitably qualified person.
Additional 間眅埶AV Requirements
English Language Proficiency
Students must demonstrate proficiency in the English language through one of the following means.
- a previous undergraduate or graduate degree completed at a university where English is the applicant's primary language of instruction
- a minimum score of 88 with a minimum of 20 in each category on internet based TOEFL
- a minimum score of 570 on the paper-based TOEFL test with a minimum TWE score of 5
- a minimum score of 230 on the computer-based TOEFL test with a minimum TWE score of 5
Portfolio/Interview
Candidates who are considered for admission may be required to submit a work portfolio and/or be required to attend a personal or telephone interview during the latter stages of the admission process.
Advising and Supervision
Students entering the program will be assigned an interim advisor. The interim advisor has two main tasks: advising the student on issues related to study within the program and assisting the student in identifying and approaching potential senior supervisors. There is no requirement that the interim advisor has a role in supervision once the senior supervisor is approved. Student supervision will comply with graduate general regulations section 1.6 Supervision.
The normal size of supervisory committees is two members.
Program Requirements
The primary requirement is the thesis (see below). The course requirements support the student's thesis research.
Required Courses
Students complete IAT 800 Foundations of Computational Art and Design * (3)
and one of
- IAT 801 Qualitative Research Methods and Design (3)
- IAT 802 Quantitative Research Methods and Design (3)
*may be waived for those with sufficient formal educational background in art and design computation.
PhD students complete at least five additional courses from the following core courses and electives.
Core Courses
Students complete at least two of
- IAT 810 New Media (3)
- IAT 811 Computational Poetics (3)
- IAT 812 Cognition, Learning and Collaboration (3)
- IAT 813 Artificial Intelligence in Computational Art and Design (3)
- IAT 814 Knowledge, Visualization and Communication (3)
In addition, three additional courses are required.
Electives, Special Topics and Directed Readings
Students complete two courses from electives, special topics and directed readings courses. Required or core courses that are not completed as part of the degree requirements may also be completed as electives.
Subject to supervisory committee approval and graduate program committee approval, students may fulfil part of these requirements through other appropriate graduate courses at 間眅埶AV or elsewhere (the latter subject to 間眅埶AV rules on external courses). Normally, all students complete at least one course toward these requirements as either an elective or special topics offered within the program.
For determining degree requirements in core, elective, special topics and directed readings categories, the number of courses with at least three units each shall be used. At least one elective must be a research methods course appropriate to the student's course of study.
Directed readings are seminar or tutorial experiences that develop special research interests in depth and with faculty supervision. Students should not expect to complete a directed readings course when a substantively comparable 間眅埶AV course exists.
Directed readings should be distinct from work undertaken toward the thesis. Normally, directed readings should not be completed under the supervision of a senior supervisor. Normally at most one directed readings course is completed.
The following courses may be used to satisfy elective requirements as specified.
- IAT 832 Exploring Interactivity (3)
- IAT 833 Performance, Technology and Embodiment (3)
- IAT 834 Mixed Methods in Design Research (3)
- IAT 835 Sustainable Interaction Design (3)
- IAT 842 Theory and Design of Games (3)
- IAT 844 Spatial Computing (3)
- IAT 846 Interactive Systems for Design (3)
- IAT 847 Metacreation: Endowing Machines with Creative Behaviours (3)
- IAT 881 Special Topics I (3)
- IAT 882 Special Topics II (3)
- IAT 883 Special Topics III (3)
- IAT 884 Special Topics IV (3)
- IAT 885 Special Topics V (3)
- IAT 886 Special Topics VI (3)
- IAT 887 Special Topics VII (3)
- IAT 888 Special Topics VIII (3)
- IAT 871 Directed Readings I (3)
- IAT 872 Directed Readings II (3)
- IAT 873 Directed Readings III (3)
Designated Research Methods Courses
At least one elective course must be a research methods course that is appropriate to the student's studies.
The following research methods courses satisfy the research methods requirement in the elective course requirements. This course requirement must be relevant to the thesis work and be approved by the supervisor and the graduate program committee. Courses external to SIAT may also be used to satisfy this requirement and must be approved by the supervisory committee and the graduate program committee.
- IAT 801 Qualitative Research Methods and Design (3)
- IAT 802 Quantitative Research Methods and Design (3)
- IAT 834 Mixed Methods in Design Research (3)
Research Colloquium
The research colloquium is an important part of the program. Students present in two seminars and are required to register in the following colloquium course for at least two academic terms.
- IAT 805 Research Colloquium (0)
Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination tests for achievement in interdisciplinarity, breadth of knowledge, depth of knowledge, topic focus and scholarly skill.
With supervisory committee consent, students may write the comprehensive examination following completion of required course work. Upon passing, the student is admitted to full degree candidacy. The examination may be retaken once.
As part of the preparation to undertake the comprehensive examination, the student submits, to the supervisory committee, a comprehensive annotated bibliography of readings used throughout course work, and readings related to the proposed thesis topic. The senior supervisor will inform the graduate program committee of the supervisory committee?s consent to write the examination and will provide a copy of the annotated bibliography.
Upon receipt of this from the senior supervisor, the graduate program committee will form an examination committee comprising the supervisory committee, the graduate program chair or designate, and one other member of faculty in the School who is eligible to act as a senior supervisor. The graduate program chair or designate shall chair the examination committee.
The examination will have three sections: the first tests breadth of knowledge within the course of study; the second tests for knowledge of the proposed thesis topic; the third tests for knowledge of and skill with pertinent research methodology. At least two of the sections will have a required archival component. The exam will have an oral component that will test for all three sections.
The examining committee will refer to the bibliography when preparing the exam. The exam process should not exceed one term from the date of notification to the graduate program committee of the consent to write the examination. This may be longer should a student be required to retake the examination.
Specific guidelines for these examinations are available from the graduate program assistant.
PhD Proposal
The program requires a dissertation proposal aimed at collegial review of the proposed work, development of research formulation and presentation skills, and approval of the dissertation work by the supervisory committee and the graduate program chair.
The approval of the graduate program chair is largely for oversight issues, for example, required ethics clearances. The dissertation proposal has two components: a research prospectus and a public event with timely notification given to the campus community.
PhD Dissertation
PhD candidates produce and defend a dissertation as part of degree requirements. All 間眅埶AV regulations concerning thesis form and examination process apply. A successful dissertation demonstrates an original contribution to a field of study. The expected standard of work is that of peer-reviewed work by accomplished scholars in their specialization. Candidates are encouraged to consider the professional and career implications of this major scholarly work.
Students who are working on their PhD dissertation will enrol in the following course.
IAT 899 PhD Dissertation (6)
PhD candidate status is neither required for, nor implied by, enrolment in this course.
PhD students who have completed a master's (MA or MSc) degree within the program are required to complete four courses including at least one core course. The research method course(s) completed in a SIAT master's program count towards the PhD designated research methods requirement. Students are waived from one term of IAT 805.
Academic Requirements within the Graduate General Regulations
All graduate students must satisfy the academic requirements that are specified in the Graduate General Regulations (residence, course work, academic progress, supervision, research competence requirement, completion time, and degree completion), as well as the specific requirements for the program in which they are enrolled, as shown above.